Striking a Nerve: Counting the Mentally Ill
Much research in this area is without the discipline necessary to
research. I am not sure why, but we fail to apply the same
standards to research in this area that we apply in other areas.
About whom one is specifically writing is often vague,
undefined. “The” mentally ill papers so often it has become as
customary as once “the” Blacks. Conclusions based upon unclear data-
gathering leaves results questionable at the least.
One recent example asked people to react to a prejudicial word they
introduced, tainting their evidence. “How great is the stigma
attached to mental illnesses” is far from a neutral question.
Others drew broad conclusions based upon information from
institutionalized individuals on weight gain, smoking habits, life
expectancy. Vocabulary is often less respectful than for other
illnesses.
When the media pick up these stories, they direct the same
questionable conclusions to readers’ minds. “The” mentally ill has
reached as high as the US Supreme Court n two unanimous
decisions. “The” Jews would not have made it into their thinking,
nor “the” Blacks. I doubt the lowest secretary would remain silent
if either did.
Every mental health professional in the US did remain silent. Every
law professor, lawyer and law student did.
Harold A. Maio, retired Mental Health Editor.

Thomas Klimczyk

03/05/14

So, the mere fact of people joining the active military are indicators of a predisposition for mental illness? That first comment should be voided as he obviously has issues with the make up of today's armed forces..

Thomas Klimczyk

03/05/14

It's "factors involved with joining in the first place" this is the statement that scares me. How could one be so biased in today's society? The numbers will undoubtedly be skewed if the writer has any say in the study. You lack the basic right of being treated as an individual. So happy you never would have considered a military career. You truly believe military service I has mentally ill recruits. Your too superior to those crazy U.S. soldiers!.

not moses

03/05/14

As with so many forms of mental illness, the diagnostician sees the
etiology he has been programmed to see. As obviously in-credible as
they have become this past year, the DSMs and the ICDs have been
frame-of-verbal-reference boxes since their inception. Devised to
describe what supposedly is (but actually was) so on the basis of
observation, "science" -- like all forms of left- hemisphere-
dominated, verbal-symbolic, mental activity -- has become a rule-
bound belief system. I know I am not connecting the dots closely
enough for most readers. There are just too many. Do those who train
us to become worker bees, impulsive consumers and good little
soldiers willing to die to defend their wealth (and secure more)
count on us to be unable to connect those dots? I quite regularly
walk through the waiting rooms at the VA hospitals and see the
flesh-and-blood answers to that question..

Dak-LCSW

03/10/14

The statement "...because of the factors involved in joining in the
first place." I believe refers to the screening involved to join
the military initially, and then pre-deployment screening.You can't
just walk in and join. You have to pass physical and mental
examinations just as you have to for law enforcement..